It all started with a single story; a one-off essay written by a mom trying to make sense of her experience parenting her seventeen-year-old trans son. Two years later, "Trans Anthology Project" is a complete, expertly curated, 310-page collection of stories and poems by more than 30 authors from across the country, the voices of 150 more who participated via anonymous survey, and educational content from a therapist with more than a decade of experience in the field.
During the project's evolution, the mission remained the same: to offer direction, hope, and a sense of community to anyone feeling isolated, alone, or scared as they venture onto a gender-diverse path, whether directly or in support of someone they love.
Heather Kirby is a therapist in the Washington, D.C. area who has worked with hundreds of gender-diverse youth and their families over the past decade. She also offers professional training and consultation to mental health providers interested in better supporting their gender-diverse clients.
Chrissy Boylan is a parent to a transgender young adult, writer, and yoga teacher from the Washington, D.C. area. Her previous work has appeared in several online and offline publications, including the Washington Post.
I talked with co-authors Boylan and Kirby about the origin, evolution, and release of "Trans Anthology Project," out now wherever books are sold.
How did you get the idea for "Trans Anthology Project?"
The seed for the book was an essay Chrissy wrote and shared with Heather. The essay chronicled her struggle to re-educate herself on outdated notions of gender when her eldest child came out as trans while in high school. Heather immediately saw the potential of harnessing a collection of stories, the type of stories she heard daily from gender-diverse youth and their parents, to build understanding and acceptance. Chrissy loved the idea and additionally suggested they include educational content based on Heather's decade of experience in the field. The result is the exact book Chrissy wishes she had had when her son came out five years ago.
How did you go about collecting all the stories and personal insights in the book?
We felt strongly that the book needed to reinforce the myriad ways gender can be explored, identified, disclosed, and expressed. Thankfully the internet allowed us to cast a wide net. Using social media, email networks, and subsequent word of mouth, we invited gender-diverse youth and their parents to participate in free online writing circles and additionally put out a call for submissions.
At the same time, we knew that not everyone was interested in writing a full personal account so additionally hosted anonymous surveys online (one for youth and one for parents) to maximize the number and diversity of personal insights and anecdotes captured by the project. The final piece of the puzzle was to fund the project through small donations to show readers that there is more support for the community than they might think.
Between our Instagram followers, our donors, contributors, and readers, this community is that much larger than when we first set out to write Trans Anthology Project.
Who is the book for?
We wrote the book first and foremost for gender-diverse youth and their parents. The reality is that most parents today likely came of age before the millennium not knowing a single person who identified as trans, non-binary, or gender queer and may have only just become familiar with those terms in the last decade.
Meanwhile, the younger generation has grown up with a deep appreciation for these concepts and navigate gender-diversity with impressive dexterity. The result is a generational knowledge gap that too often leads to misunderstanding, frustration, and fear. We created Trans Anthology Project to bridge this gap by providing a more personal perspective from which to learn about, appreciate, and ultimately support gender-diversity in our families and communities.
That said, we've also been pleasantly surprised by how useful the book is to extended family, friends, therapists, coaches, teachers, and anyone wanting to deepen their understanding. Even readers with little information or exposure to gender-diversity can gain key foundational knowledge, which is particularly important given the current political discourse.
What has been the response so far?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive! Within the first week of its release, we heard from a school counselor outside Detroit who had a kiddo come out to her after spying "Trans Anthology Project" on her bookshelf. Since then, we've also had multiple parents reference specific stories that helped them better understand their child's experiences, gender-diverse teens who couldn't put the book down, and allies passing the book on within their communities.
Is there anything next for "Trans Anthology Project?"
We hope so! Right now, we're doing the work of getting the book in the hands of those it could help most. In the future, we hope to adapt it to an audiobook, as well as create a more resource- and story-driven website where gender-diverse youth, their parents, and others can find education, personal perspectives, and resources. And who knows? Maybe there will be a Volume Two someday.
www.transanthologyproject.com
www.kcclinicalsolutions.com
www.chrissyboylan.com
Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity and marketing for the LGBTQ+ community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates 35 years of successful campaigns. www.michelekarlsberg.com
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